Chapter 59: Return to the Capital

Chapter 59: Return to the Capital

From that moment on, Xin He never gave Wei Mingjin a pleasant look.

Wei Mingjin, too, harbored a suppressed rage. He used every tactic, both gentle and harsh, to pressure Xin He, hoping she would yield to him as she once had.

But Xin He not only refused to bow to him, she also repeatedly attempted to escape during their journey back to the capital.

Though Wei Mingjin caught her every single time without exception, Xin He remained undeterred, fighting on despite repeated failures, showing no intention of backing down.

After yet another failed escape attempt, Wei Mingjin pinned her down in the embroidered tent, his eyes clouded with an ominous storm. "He Niang, my patience is limited. Don’t push me."

"And what if I do push you? Kill me if you dare!" Xin He met Wei Mingjin’s gaze, her eyes filled with utter disdain.

Before, she had patiently played along with Wei Mingjin, thinking that since the world believed her dead, once she broke free from his control and fled far away, he would never be able to confine her again.

But she never imagined Wei Mingjin would be so despicable, secretly setting a trap to trick her into signing a concubine contract, making her his concubine in a bewildered state.

Now, with that contract, she could never hope to escape Wei Mingjin’s grasp for the rest of her life.

Since that was the case, Xin He decided to throw caution to the wind.

Even though she was at a disadvantage, she showed no fear. Instead, she defiantly tilted her slender neck, smirking coldly at the enraged Wei Mingjin.

"If you don’t dare to kill me, I’ll just keep trying to escape!"

All of Wei Mingjin’s suppressed restraint shattered instantly at Xin He’s words.

Murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Instinctively, he reached out—Xin He’s delicate, vulnerable neck was right before him.

If he were to grip it tightly, Xin He would soon be like the cat he had once kept, her beautiful head drooping limply.

Then he would bury her beneath the blossoming tree in his courtyard. Every day, when he opened his window, he would see her.

That way, she would never again betray him and would remain by his side forever.

Wei Mingjin’s hand rested on Xin He’s neck, but before he could exert any force, a familiar pain suddenly shot through his heart.

This pain had first appeared without warning after news of Xin He’s death had reached him.

Now, as it returned, it instantly jolted Wei Mingjin back to his senses.

His eyes, once clouded by rage, gradually cleared. He withdrew his hand from Xin He’s neck and looked down into her stubborn, hate-filled eyes.

The Xin He of the past had been gentle and obedient, complying with his every wish.

But during this time, Wei Mingjin had witnessed a strange, entirely new Xin He.

She no longer displayed any of her former meekness in front of him. Instead, she was like a civet cat that had suddenly grown sharp claws, lashing out with all her might whenever he drew near.

After a moment, Wei Mingjin sighed and reached out to caress Xin He’s cheek.

Xin He swiftly dodged his touch, a flicker of disgust in her eyes.

Wei Mingjin’s hand paused, then he withdrew it as if surrendering, murmuring, "He Niang, you know I can’t bring myself to do it."

When he first noticed Xin He’s change, Wei Mingjin had been furious.

He had tried both coercion and persuasion to force her to yield, but the once pliant woman was now as unyielding as stone.

Unable to bend Xin He to his will, Wei Mingjin found himself repeatedly thwarted by her. Each time his anger drove him to the brink of killing her, the sudden pain in his heart would jolt him back to reality.

Xin He was, after all, different from the cat he had raised all those years ago—he simply couldn’t bring himself to kill her.

Xin He laughed as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke.

"Wei Mingjin, you can’t bear to hurt me? Your idea of 'not bearing to hurt me' is to trick me into signing a contract of servitude with despicable methods, forcing me to become your concubine? How utterly shameless your 'care' is." Xin He mocked him mercilessly.

But Wei Mingjin did not argue further. Instead, he lowered his head and focused on pleasuring her.

He used his lips and tongue to tease and pleasure Xin He, carrying her to the heights of ecstasy.

Unable to control the physical pleasure, Xin He dug her fingers tightly into Wei Mingjin’s hair.

So forceful was her grip that his hair ornament went askew, and his meticulously tied hair became disheveled.

Wei Mingjin, however, showed no anger. Instead, he held Xin He tightly in his arms, pinning her down with his limbs.

Only in moments like these did Wei Mingjin feel that the Xin He in his arms was truly real.

How laughable it all was.

He had always thought of Xin He as a dodder vine that could not survive without him.

But now he had become the vine, and only by tightly entwining himself around her did he feel that Xin He belonged to him.

As Xin He lay panting in his embrace, Wei Mingjin held her close and whispered, "He Niang, the reason you’re so desperate to escape is because of that country doctor, isn’t it?"

Xin He closed her eyes and did not answer. She only wished Wei Mingjin would leave quickly so she could bathe.

But Wei Mingjin did not leave. Instead, he said, "But that country doctor is nothing but a coward driven by greed. He told you he saved you out of a doctor’s compassion, but when I sent people to find him, they discovered he had already fled with that box of silver ingots."

Wei Mingjin told her this to make her see Bai Xu’s true nature.

To his surprise, Xin He only laughed coldly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Should he have stayed and waited to become another victim of your blade?"

Wei Mingjin was left speechless.

Xin He pushed him away, wrapping herself in her robes with an icy expression. "If you have nothing else to say, get out. I want to bathe."

Her words were incredibly rude. A vein throbbed at Wei Mingjin’s temple, but in the end, he said nothing. With a cold expression, he stormed out.

Soon after, hot water was brought in.

Xin He removed her robes and settled into the bathtub, allowing the hot water to wash away the stickiness on her skin. As she did, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.

She knew Wei Mingjin all too well. That day, before leaving, she had turned and quickly mouthed to Bai Xu: "Run."

At the time, Bai Xu had only stared at her blankly. She didn’t know if he had understood her.

But with Wei Mingjin right beside her, she had no chance to repeat herself.

It seemed now that Bai Xu had understood.

It was good that he had escaped. She had always felt deeply guilty toward him, and now, knowing he had evaded Wei Mingjin’s clutches, she could finally set her mind at ease.

Without Bai Xu, Wei Mingjin had even less leverage over her.

After that, Xin He continued relentlessly seeking ways to escape, while Wei Mingjin remained vigilant, determined not to let her succeed. And so, the two of them continued their entangled struggle all the way to the capital.

Looking at the familiar gates of the Wei residence, Xin He seethed with resentment.

On the journey back to the capital, Wei Mingjin had taken a detour to Qingyuan County. At that time, she had feigned illness and deceived Chi Yan, and had almost escaped.

But unfortunately, her luck ran out, and she was caught by Wei Mingjin, who had rushed back. After that, Wei Mingjin stuck to her like a shadow, even going so far as to chain their hands together with iron chains while they slept at night.

Thus, under Wei Mingjin’s relentless surveillance day and night, Xin He was dragged back to the capital.

Yet even so, Xin He refused to wallow in self-pity.

She still never gave Wei Mingjin the time of day, but she always made sure to take care of herself.

She ate her fill at every meal, then continued to put everything she had into escaping.

Though each time she was caught before even making it past the second gate, Xin He never lost heart.

During this time, the shamans and *gu* poison masters invited by Feng Mo also arrived in the capital one after another.

They came to examine Xin He, but without exception, they all said there was not a hint of witchcraft or *gu* poisoning on her.

Wei Mingjin refused to give up and asked directly, "Could it be that you’re not skilled enough, and you simply failed to detect it?"

Feng Mo, who was serving nearby, winced upon hearing this.

Every shaman and *gu* poison master he had invited was a top expert in their field. For Young Master Wei to say such a thing was a slap in the face.

Sure enough, as soon as Wei Mingjin spoke these words, the faces of all the shamans and *gu* poison masters turned grim.

One with a particularly short fuse stood up immediately, tossed out the words, "Since Young Master Wei believes our skills are lacking, perhaps you should seek out more capable individuals," and stormed off without a backward glance.

The other *gu* poison masters and shamans also left in anger.

Feng Mo opened his mouth, intending to explain to Wei Mingjin that these individuals were the finest in their professions. Since they had examined Xin He and found no trace of witchcraft or *gu* poisoning, it likely meant she truly was not under any such influence.

But when he met Wei Mingjin’s gaze of someone in denial, Feng Mo paused and silently swallowed his words.

It seemed there were some things his master understood perfectly well but simply refused to accept.

If he were tactless enough to force the issue and insist his master believe the truth, he’d be the one to pay for it in the end.

Just as Feng Mo, seeing that Wei Mingjin had no further orders, was about to withdraw, Wei Mingjin spoke again: "Go and find even better shamans and *gu* poison masters."

Feng Mo cringed inside.

He had already brought the best shamans and *gu* poison masters available—where was he supposed to find better ones now? But he wouldn’t dare breathe a word of this question to Wei Mingjin, even if he had ten times the courage.

As Feng Mo was reluctantly preparing to agree, a mocking laugh suddenly came from outside the door: "Even if you bring the high priest of Nanzhao here, it would be useless."

Feng Mo turned his head and, upon seeing Xin He enter with a face full of mockery, felt a chill run down his spine.

The Xin He of the past had been sweet-natured and gentle, treating servants like him with warmth. But ever since she was captured and brought back after her escape, she had changed completely. Not only did she no longer show any of her former closeness to the servants, but she also treated their master with nothing but contempt, often resorting to sarcasm and ridicule.

Now, every time he saw Xin He approach, Feng Mo felt as though his head was on the chopping block.

After all, when masters quarreled, it was always the servants who suffered.

"Yiniang Xin, you’ve come," Feng Mo said with a nervous smile, stepping forward in an attempt to change the subject. "The kitchen has prepared your favorite dish—"

Before Feng Mo could finish, Xin He cut him off: "Don’t bother with excuses. Are you standing here because you want to hear how I scold your master? I heard that last time I escaped, he almost had you killed. You don’t dare complain because he’s your master, but deep down, you’re boiling with resentment! So you want to stay here and listen to me scold him to vent your anger?"

The sudden accusation left Feng Mo speechless.

But his body moved faster than his mind. He hit the floor with a thump before hurriedly explaining, "Young Master, I am wronged! I would never dare entertain such thoughts, I—"

"Get out!" Wei Mingjin cut off Feng Mo’s babbling.

Feng Mo stiffened, hastily kowtowed to Wei Mingjin, and then bolted out of there like his life depended on it.

Once outside, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Even though Yiniang Xin was twisting the truth, being driven out like this was a lucky break. If he had stayed, once his master was provoked into losing control by Yiniang Xin’s words, he would likely have been the one to suffer.

Thank goodness he had gotten out in time.

After Feng Mo withdrew, Xin He turned to Wei Mingjin, her face dripping with sarcasm. "Wei Mingjin, even now, you still want to kid yourself!"

The day after Xin He was brought back to the capital, people came to see her one after another.

Although Ming Xia said they were physicians there to examine her pulse, Xin He was no fool—she could tell the difference between shamans, *gu* poison masters, and physicians. In an instant, she guessed Wei Mingjin’s purpose in inviting these people to see her.

Xin He had never been one to take things lying down. Now that Wei Mingjin had imprisoned her here, she would not make things easy for him.

"Since you don’t believe what those shamans and *gu* poison masters said, let me tell you myself. From beginning to end, I have never admired you. Everything from before was just an act. It’s a joke that you actually believed all of it."

As soon as Xin He finished speaking, there was a sharp crack.

The teacup that had been in Wei Mingjin’s hand shattered into pieces, falling from his palm to the ground, stained with splotches of blood.

Wei Mingjin stepped on the bloodstains as he walked slowly toward Xin He.

His face was as pale as a ghost, his pupils pitch black, like a demon that had shed its human skin.

But Xin He showed no fear.

Wei Mingjin had trapped her with a concubine contract and layers of courtyard gates. If she couldn’t escape, she would make Wei Mingjin’s life hell every day.

Only in this way could she avoid losing her mind or being broken.

Wei Mingjin, now close, ground his teeth so hard they grated, the muscles in his cheeks trembling. His gaze was filled with a cold, murderous intent, as if he wished he could cut Xin He into ribbons.

But Xin He felt no fear. She met his gaze directly, wanting to witness Wei Mingjin’s impotent rage.

Now trapped here, the only solace she could find was in the sight of Wei Mingjin’s furious reactions each time she provoked him.

To her surprise, however, Wei Mingjin’s anger was gone in a flash.

His gaze softened as he looked at her, and he said gently, "Since you were acting before, then continue to act from now on."

This reaction and response from Wei Mingjin were something Xin He had not anticipated.

For a moment, Xin He even thought Wei Mingjin had lost his mind.

Otherwise, how could someone as proud as him say such a thing?

That day, Xin He had gone intending to provoke Wei Mingjin, but in the end, she left empty-handed.

And through their many confrontations, Wei Mingjin gradually found a way to deal with her.

After Xin He kept getting outmaneuvered by Wei Mingjin several times, she was fuming when Wei Mingjin suddenly began his official duties.

From Ming Xia, Xin He learned that after Wei Mingjin aced the imperial exams, he had been appointed to the Hanlin Academy as an editor.

However, he had asked the emperor to first return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors before assuming his post at the Hanlin Academy, and the emperor had granted his request.

Now that he had returned to the capital, it was time for him to begin his duties at the Hanlin Academy.

At that time, Xin He thought that once Wei Mingjin left for the Hanlin Academy every day, she would find an opportunity to escape. Little did she expect that Wei Mingjin had turned the residence into an impenetrable fortress. She couldn’t get out herself, much less a fly.

Just as Xin He was feeling disheartened, Princess Jiahe suddenly arrived at the Wei residence.

Way before the spring exams started, Princess Jiahe had declared that she would choose a scholar from this year's cohort to be her consort.

As expected, Princess Jiahe had her eye on Wei Mingjin.